Animated picture



A. O. TANNENBERG ANIMATED PICTURE Filed Oct. 31, 1934 Nov. 19, 1935.

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Patented Nov. 19, 1935 [PATENT OFFICE ma-ran morons August 0. Tannenberg, Oakland, Calif. Application October 31, 1934, Serial No. 750,893

3 Claims. (o1. ss-1s) My invention relates to improvements in am mated pictures, and it consists of the combinations, constructions and arrangementshereinafter described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a device for causing pictures to become animated so that the pictures will depict various articles in apparent motion. These articles can be of any description, such as shoes, hats, pumpkins, balls, or they can show machinery in operation, or even.

small characters such as a man running up a ladder and jumping off.

In order to give animation to the pictures I provide slots through which the pictures are viewed. If these slots are equal in number to the number of pictures, the pictures will appear to rotate or move but not to move to the, right or to the left. On the other hand, if the slots are fewer in number than the pictures shown, the' pictures will appear to move to the right, and the opposite will be true if. there are more slots than the pictures shown.

I provide discs and rotate them on axles, and

the discs may have a number of circular rows of pictures. This provision will permit the one device showing a number of different series of animated pictures.

The device is extremely simple in construction and provides a novel advertising device or a toy. The device can also act as an instructor for showing moving parts.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, in

which Figure 1 is an isometric view of the device;

Figure 2 is a side elevation.

In carrying out my invention I provide a frame I on which an axle 2 is rotatably mounted. The ends of the frame i have upstanding ears 3, and the axle 2 is iournaled in these ears. The handle 4 is centrally disposed on the frame I.

In Figure 2 I show the ends of the axle 2 as being threaded at I. Nuts 6 are threaded on the ends of the axle 2, and I next dispose discs I on the axle. The discsare clamped to the nuts 6 by wing nuts 8. Either of. the discs I can be rotated, and this will cause bothdiscs to rotate in unison because they are both clamped to the axle, and will rotate with the axle. Referring again to Figure 1, it will be noted that each disc has a plurality of pictures on its inner face, and

a rotation of itself.

has its outer face blackened. I have shown two rows of pictures 9 and iii, the outer row depicting a pumpkin and the inner row showing a shoe. Each successive picture is rotated on itself a trifle more than the preceding picture so that a rotation of the disc will apparently impart to the picture The discs I also have two rows of openings or slots I I and i2, and the outer row of slots ll permits the operator to view the outer row of pictures 9, while the inner row of 19 slots I2 is in alignment with the inner row to of pictures.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. 15

If the operatoris to look at the row of pumpkins he places his eye at the outer row of slots in the left hand disc '1 of Figure 1. He now rotates the discs and the slots will cause the pictures to be viewed so that they will appear to rotate. The 20 direction of rotation is predetermined by the way the pictures are placed on the disc. If the slots are equal in number to the pictures, the pictures will not appear to move either to the right or to the left, but will merely rotate. However, if there 95 are fewer slots than pictures the pictures will appear to slow down, and to move at a slower pace in one direction, while the opposite is true if more slots are provided than there are pictures.

If the operator wishes to view the shoes he looks through the inner row of slots i2. As already stated other objects can be shown, and I do not wish to be confined to any particular type of. picture.

Although I have shown the frame I as being small enough to hold in the hand, it is obvious that the frame may be enlarged to any size, and that also the discs may be enlarged to a size where they will have to be supported by a stand. It is also true that the frame and the discs can be housed, and that the housing can have one slot for each row of slots through which the operator may look when viewing the pictures. In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 four different series of pictures can be shown, and if desired the number ,of rows can be increased beyond this number.

The larger the disc the more the number of rows of pictures which can be shown, and also the pictures can be made larger if desired. ,The outer faces of the discs are made black in order not to reflect any light, and thus permit the operator to look through the slots and to see the inner face of the opposite disc.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that vari- 5s ans changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It is obvious that the greater the number of pictures in the circle, the clearer they will appear. The disc can be of any shape desired. The slots can be of any shape or a number of openings can be provided. I do not wish to be confined to slots.

Where several rows of pictures are on one disc, it is possible to see them all at once. These pictures in the various rows will be just turning or moving to the right or to the left depending on the number of openings with relation to the number of pictures in each row. If another row of openings are looked through having a different number oi slots and the same pictures are viewed, the movements of the pictures will be changed.

I claim:

1. A device for producing animated pictures comprising a pair of discs rotatable in unison about a common axis, the inner faces of the discs being provided with circular rows of pictures shown in different positions, said discs having slots disposed between the pictures, whereby the row of pictures on one disc can be viewed through the slots in the other disc, the outer faces of the discs being blackened.

2. A device for producing animated pictures and comprising a pair of discs rotatable in unison about a common axis, said discs having circular rows of pictures on their inner. faces, each row depicting one subject in different positions, said discs having slots through which the pictures may be viewed, the slots being greater in number than the pictures and imparting apparent movement to the pictures to the left.

3. A device for producing animated pictures and comprising a pair of discs rotatable in unison about a common axis, said discs having circular rows of pictures on their inner faces, each row depicting one subject in different positions, said discs having slots through which the pictures may be viewed, the slots being less in number than the pictures and imparting apparent movement to the .pictures to the right. 4

AUGUST 0. TANNENBERG. 

